Then came the Festival of Dedication (in Hebrew: Hanukkah) at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
John 10:22-27
It’s not a coincidence that Hanukkah is celebrated so close to Christmas. In fact, Hanukkah came to prepare us for Christmas (the birth of our Messiah). It is called a Festival of Lights or Festival of Dedication for a reason because Yeshua came to be our light, to cleanse us and dedicate us to our Heavenly Father. It celebrates the miracle of the oil that was meant to last only one day and ended up lasting 8 days, which was as long as it took for the Temple to be rededicated to God. The Lord is not limited by our limitations; He finds a way where there isn’t one, He will create something out of nothing and will turn our darkness into light with the sheer power of His love for us. The nation of Israel cleansed and rededicated the Temple during Hanukkah, preparing it for the coming of their Messiah! The same way we celebrate Hanukkah right before Christmas, as a prophetic symbol of us rededicating ourselves to welcome our Messiah Yeshua’s coming. Hanukkah as a Festival of Lights is just as relevant for us today as followers of Yeshua because He told us that we are to be a Light to the World, and we are His temples, so we need to cleanse and rededicate ourselves to Him, so we can be His light to the world. This is why Hanukkah is such a prophetic and important preparation for Christmas that we celebrate as a symbol of Yeshua’s coming into this world as our Savior. That is what we want to allow others, who have never experienced true Christmas, to experience. We want to reignite this knowledge and remind people why this season in the year is so important, beautiful, and worthy of celebration. The true meaning of Christmas is too profound to just ignore it, or not share it with the same nation that experienced the first-ever Christmas in history just a few miles away from Ashdod, in Bethlehem. We want to bless families, and especially small children by bringing them to Yeshua and showing them His heart behind the real significance of Christmas. Currently, we are in the final phases of organizing a special Christmas celebration for children. The idea behind it is to bring Christ back into Christmas, and to allow people who live in Israel — the land where Yeshua was born, to experience Christmas in its truest and purest form. We want to reveal the biblical meaning of Nativity to so many families who are still on the journey to finding God. Will you consider being a part of it? Helping us bring our Messiah (Christ) back into Christmas by blessing these families and children with the gift of Christmas.Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.
Matthew 19:14
If you haven’t decided on your year-end giving yet, please consider sowing into the Lord’s work through our ministry in the land of Israel.Seal the year in a significant way! give today